Yu Ji-tae and Oh Dal-soo Appear in Stage Production After Film “Old Boy”

“If destined, they must meet anyway.”

This is what Yu Ji-tae, a 28-year-old actor, said about Oh Dal-soo, a 37year-old actor, who will appear with him in his first-ever stage production appearance. Both actors, who appeared in the feature film “Old Boy,” are completely engaged in rehearsing for the production of a two-man drama, “Tidal Wave,” by Yi Hae-je, which is set for April 21 at the Happy Theater in Dongseung-dong, Seoul

Oh played the role of gangster who runs private a detention cell in “Old Boy,” and whose teeth were pulled out by Choi Min-sik. Yu and Oh have become friends while they played together in the movie. They agreed to act in a stage production and decided to appear in a two-man drama that requires a high level of performance.

--Yu’s Acting Fee: Five Million Won

Yu, the rising star, receives five million won in acting fees, about the average of what theater-district actors earn. “It’s been my wish to appear in a small stage production or an independent film a year,” said Yu. “It is very fortunate to act together with Dal-soo.”

Yu, who just finished filming of “Women are the Future of Men,” directed by Hong Sang-su, is practicing for “Tidal Wave” eight hours a day. Yu, who had gained weight--as much as 100 kilograms--for the role of a married man in the movie, had to lose 13 kilograms back again. He had to practice accents and tones for the stage. For articulate pronunciation of words, he often referred to a dictionary. “He is a hard-working actor who practices incessantly and who attempts to talk with his inner self,” said stage director Yi.

“When we were filming Old Boy he wanted to have a drink with staff. When I just retired to my quarters he drove his car to pick me up. Since then, I found him very caring for his senior colleagues,” said Oh.

--“Big Face is More Accessible”

Oh’s biggest asset as a stage actor is his big face.

In “Man’s Impulse, “another production he currently plays in, his face stands out among other actors because of its sheer size. “They say they can recognize the face I make from the mezzanine of the opera house,” said Oh.

Oh, who used to work in a publishing house and a printing shop, began to get involved with stage production in 1989 when he distributed posters and pamphlets for Yi’s Gamasot Production in Busan.

Oh, who used a Gyeongsang accent in “Old Boy” and the stage production “Let the Sun Shine on the Haunted House, “speaks in Jeolla accent in “Man’s Impulse.” He will use a Hamhyeong accent in “Tidal Wave.” Pak Chan-wook, the director of “Old Boy,” praised him as the actor of the performance.

Yu has deep respect for Oh. Yu plans to direct a 15-minute short film, titled A Second’s Pleasure. He has already cast Oh for the leading role of a blind acupuncturist.

--Two Solders bound up by Chain

“Tidal Waves’ is based on a true story about the North Korean military’s use of its soldiers as human shields by tying them together with chains and shackles.

Yu played the role of Hayeon, a Japanese-educated intellectual who defected to the North. Oh is an herb gatherer who was recruited into the North Korean Army. Bound together by a chain, they waged their own psychological warfare against each other. Some comical elements are in the production as the two soldiers are sometimes under the influence of opium.

Seung-Hoon Cheon raphy@donga.com